Enhancing Online Access for K-12 Education: Policy Implementation Strategies for States

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced K-12 education to pivot to a virtual platform requiring students to connect to the Internet to access school. This abrupt transition primarily impacted students living in underserved areas, particularly in rural communities and impoverished communities already suffering from the digital divide. To combat this, state and local initiatives were implemented nationwide to provide the necessary devices and reliable Internet connections to students. Our research assessed 69 programs providing Internet access to students using three criteria: Connectivity, Implementation Speed, and Cost. A negative relationship exists between Connectivity and Implementation Speed, indicating that the most effective solutions require significant time resources. This highlights the importance of implementing both short-term and long-term solutions to ensure students are able to connect to online resources required for school. Short-term solutions, such as hotspots, will help students gain Internet access as soon as possible and long-term solutions, such as construction of broadband infrastructure, will create lasting change for communities in need. The primary obstacle to realizing these goals is funding, and this research identified four alternatives for obtaining funding for increased Internet access: BroadbandUSA Program, individual State funding, the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline Program, and tax incentives for individuals working from home. Sustained funding policies, such as the BroadbandUSA Program and the use of state funding, align best with implementation of relatively expensive, yet long-term solutions, namely infrastructure construction. Economic policies aimed at mitigating the affordability aspect of the digital divide, such as the Lifeline Program and tax incentives, are best aligned with short-term solutions because they are not designed to provide extended support to citizens. Using the data and analysis of these 69 programs, we demonstrate a plurality of policies to address the digital divide and connect students to the Internet.